More Dead Than Alive (1969)
** 1/2 (out of 4)
Notorious gunslinger "Killer" Cain (Clint Walker) gets out of prison after eighteen years for killing a man and he can't quite learn to deal with the current times. He ends up working for a traveling show ran by Dan Ruffalo (Vincent Price) who makes money showing off gunfighters from the past. Before long Cain's past is trying to catch up with him and a young kid (Paul Hampton) who becomes jealous.
MORE DEAD THAN ALIVE is certainly a flawed picture but at the same time it's one that's very much worth watching if you're a fan of the genre. The strange thing about this picture is that fact that it's incredibly old-fashioned and you have to wonder why the studio would make a picture like this when the various Italian Spaghetti Westerns were taking over theaters. Was this an attempt to try and milk money out of people who weren't happy with the new style?
With that being said, what I enjoyed most about this picture were the performances, which I found to be excellent. Walker dose an excellent job in the lead role as a man wanting to get away from his past and not return to violence. I thought Walker was very believable in the role and he certainly made the character someone you cared for. Price is wonderfully delightful in his role as the carnival barker who always has the smart thing to say. Anne Francis does a good job in the role of the love interest and there's no question that Hampton is great as the villain.
The film's plot is pretty predictable and I'd argue that the film really doesn't do anything original. The story of a bad man trying to stay out of trouble really isn't anything original and there's certainly nothing fresh done with it here. The film does go on a bit too long but as I said there are quite a few very good things about it. Not only the performances but you get some nice cinematography, some great locations and there's no doubt that the film is fun for what it is.
** 1/2 (out of 4)
Notorious gunslinger "Killer" Cain (Clint Walker) gets out of prison after eighteen years for killing a man and he can't quite learn to deal with the current times. He ends up working for a traveling show ran by Dan Ruffalo (Vincent Price) who makes money showing off gunfighters from the past. Before long Cain's past is trying to catch up with him and a young kid (Paul Hampton) who becomes jealous.
MORE DEAD THAN ALIVE is certainly a flawed picture but at the same time it's one that's very much worth watching if you're a fan of the genre. The strange thing about this picture is that fact that it's incredibly old-fashioned and you have to wonder why the studio would make a picture like this when the various Italian Spaghetti Westerns were taking over theaters. Was this an attempt to try and milk money out of people who weren't happy with the new style?
With that being said, what I enjoyed most about this picture were the performances, which I found to be excellent. Walker dose an excellent job in the lead role as a man wanting to get away from his past and not return to violence. I thought Walker was very believable in the role and he certainly made the character someone you cared for. Price is wonderfully delightful in his role as the carnival barker who always has the smart thing to say. Anne Francis does a good job in the role of the love interest and there's no question that Hampton is great as the villain.
The film's plot is pretty predictable and I'd argue that the film really doesn't do anything original. The story of a bad man trying to stay out of trouble really isn't anything original and there's certainly nothing fresh done with it here. The film does go on a bit too long but as I said there are quite a few very good things about it. Not only the performances but you get some nice cinematography, some great locations and there's no doubt that the film is fun for what it is.